Endings and Beginnings

The book of Malachi wraps up the Old Testament. It’s also the conclusion of our UPWORD together readings (for now!). Dr. Henrietta Mears wrote: “Martin Luther called John 3:16 ‘the little gospel.’ In the same way, we might speak of Malachi as the ‘little Old Testament’.”

As the ‘little Old Testament’ we see in Malachi the reality of ongoing sin and the tragedy of fallen humanity.  Even though the people had been loved by God and protected by his goodness, they still doubted his love and turned toward themselves and away from him. “‘I have loved you deeply,’ says the LORD. But you retort, ‘Really? How have you loved us?'” (Malachi 1:1) The people had been set free from exile, returned to their homeland, and rebuilt their Temple and walls of their city, yet again fell into a faithless condition.  The people were involved in thoughtless and cold religion (Mal. 1:6-8), preoccupation with money and robbing God of the tithe (Mal 3:7-12), rampant divorce (Mal.2:14-16), evil associations (Mal.2:10-12), and doubting God’s character and justice (Mal 2:17-3:6). As the culmination of the Old Testament, Malachi ends with the word “curse.”  And this is the result of life lived apart from God.

However, “curse” is not the final word of the Bible, just the Old Testament. Malachi promised that God would send a messenger in the future who would be a forerunner to God’s arrival. “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple,” (Mal 3:1).  The New Testament identifies John the Baptist as that messenger (see John 1:23 and Luke 3:3-4) and it identifies Jesus as God himself who has come to his temple (John 20:30-31).  And while the Old Testament ends with the word “curse,” the New Testament closes with a blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all God’s people.” (Revelation 22:21).

God continues to send his messengers ahead of Him into people’s lives.  When we allow God to use us to speak his love into lives that have been broken by the curse of sin and selfishness, we help to prepare the way for Jesus to enter in and bring his blessing of grace and life.  We live in a time not unlike that of the time of Malachi — people are still the same, living careless lives with spiritless religion. We, like Malachi and  John the Baptist, can be God’s messengers of the good news that God loves broken people.  Choosing to yield and live Christ-full lives will usher in his deep, profound, and healing love through us to others.  As we receive him daily, we can be used by God just as we are to bless others he puts in our lives.  We can live out the truth that Jesus has come to remove the curse of sin and death with the blessing of new life through grace.  We can offer hope where hope has been lost, restore forgiveness where offense has shut down hearts, and be the presence of Christ to those who are seeking him.  God’s story doesn’t end with Malachi or the Old Testament.  He’s just getting started.

The Promised Hope

The struggles we go through in life may seem never-ending. The fear of our enemies may threaten to overwhelm us. The difficulties we face may cause us to wonder if change will ever really come.  In such times of personal crisis, where do you find your hope?

The prophet Zechariah spoke to a people who were surrounded by enemies with few natural defenses and even fewer man-made securities to protect them. In the midst of this uncertainty, he assured them of God’ presence and protection. “I will guard my Temple and protect it from invading armies. I am closely watching their movements,” (Zechariah 9:8).  Zechariah then spoke of a time in the future when a righteous King would come.  About 500 years later, that King arrived.  Zechariah prophesied: “Rejoiced greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – even on a donkey’s colt,” (Zechariah 9:9).  [This prophecy was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 21:4-11.]  He continued, “I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and I will destroy all the weapons used in battle. Your King will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners for there is yet hope! I promise this very day that I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!” (Zechariah 9:10-12).

Jesus Christ fulfilled part of this prophecy when he came to earth the first time. He delivered us from death by shedding his blood on the cross as a ransom for our sins. As a righteous and humble King, he purchased our pardon and sealed a covenant in his own blood in order to rescue us from hell (“death in a waterless dungeon”).  When he comes back again, just as he promised, he will bring peace to the earth. As such, we can now find our safety in Christ. He is our refuge and peace in the midst of our difficulties in this life. When he is ultimately crowned the King of kings, he promises to repay those who belong to him with, “two mercies for every woe suffered.” In other words, he offers an exceeding abundance of restoration for the sorrows we endure in this life. No matter how difficult our struggles are, we can give Christ our lives and be assured that we have a secure and lasting hope for the future.

Profitable Living

What does your daily life look like? Is it simply a matter of existing to get what you want by carrying out your plans? Do you acknowledge that God is real and personal and yet live like he is far away?  Do you subtly view Sunday worship as a means to an end — your part in receiving God’s blessing – a kind of religious blue chip stock? Is your faith a lived-out kind of faith or are you just going through the religious motions?

This was the reminder that Zechariah gave to the people of Judah.  Having returned to their homeland following the long exile in Assyria and Babylon, the people were in the process of putting life back together.  They were rebuilding the Temple and reestablishing their religious lives.  But God wanted them to be more than religious, he wanted an internalized faith that was expressed in daily life.  “In your holy festivals, you don’t think about me but only of pleasing yourselves,” (Zech. 7:6). As things were returning to normalcy, God warned them not to become hardened to his word and his Spirit as their forebears had become.  “Your ancestors would not listen… they stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.  They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the law or the messages that the LORD Almighty had sent them by his Spirit though the earlier prophets,”  (Zechariah 7: 11-12).

To really live profitably, that is, in a way that would please God and honor him as their Lord, their faith would have to be a lived-out faith that affected all areas of their lives.  It couldn’t just be a one day a week thing. “This is what the LORD Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other, ” (Zech. 7:8-10). “Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Do not make evil plots to harm each other. And stop this habit of swearing to things that are false,” (Zech 8:16-17).  The test of their faith was simple: love for others and especially those who were helpless.  And a commitment to a truth-filled, honest, just life.  God wanted them to do the right thing according to what He determined was right, no matter what it cost them.

God’s desire for our lives is no less today than it was when this was written.  This is still what God looks for from those who follow him. Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”  Because of his cross and the forgiveness he has given us, he calls us to forgive others and be merciful to those who don’t deserve it.  Jesus asks us to know the truth so that the truth can make us free — and he himself is Truth.  Our lives are to be centered around Him.  Therefore his call to us is more than just Sunday-faith.  It’s a lived-out faith.  It’s an all of life faith. It’s an every day commitment and reliance upon him.  Are you making a profitable living?

Putting the Pieces Together

Life is difficult. It’s especially tough for those who have faced trauma or been victimized.  Though an immediate hardship may end, though abuse or dysfunction may be left behind, inner freedom is not automatic. It’s typical to remain emotionally bound by the past. It’s hard to put the pieces of life back together and move forward with hope and enthusiasm.

This was likely the case for God’s people in Judah to whom the prophet Zechariah spoke. Because of their ancestors’ sins and dysfunctions, their families had been displaced from their homeland to Assyria and Babylon. However, by God’s sovereign grace, a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem following a 70 year exile. These Jews returned to their homeland under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel.  Their first goal was to rebuild God’s Temple, but their initial zeal was quickly squashed by resistance from the local residents. The rebuilding of God’s House halted. The people had been used and abused by others for so long, that they had very little strength to accomplish the task of rebuilding their lives. Though they had obtained freedom, they struggled to live in the reality of their true identity as God’s uniquely chosen and treasured people.

Zechariah spoke into this condition so as to help the people recover from the immobilizing pain of the past and to reestablish their true identity. He spoke of hope for the future to enable them to recover in the present. He encouraged them through vivid visions that God was at work and healing was at hand.  Above all, in the midst of the difficulty of putting the pieces of life back together, he assured them that the power for rebuilding was ultimately not their own.  “‘It’s not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6).

We are driven in today’s competitive culture to be independent of God and man.  We expect ourselves to out perform others and push ourselves harder when we don’t.  When we reach our limit, we become depressed, turn to addictions or fall to pieces.  God wants us to turn completely to him and to accomplish his purposes in his strength.  God tells the apostle Paul  in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  It is God’s Spirit in us accomplishing the things of God that pleases God.  And the whole of our existence is to glorify him.  When you think about it, it’s quite a contrast, isn’t it?

God has the power to accomplish healing and freedom in your life with regard to anything you might face.   Though your own power is limited, his is not.   “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” Matthew 19:26.  Trust him, he loves you and he’s got this.

Have you asked God, “Why?”

Questions are a normal part of life; especially in the midst of situations we don’t understand. During hardship, it can be difficult to reconcile our belief in a good and righteous God with the facts of life as we see them.  At such times, it’s not unusual to wrestle with doubts and to ask God, “Why?”  We wonder, “Why does a good God allow evil things to occur?” “If God is all powerful, why doesn’t he stop people in their lawlessness and their mad rush for power?” “Why does God seem silent in the midst of trouble?” “Why do the bad guys seem to win and the wicked people seem to prosper?”

The prophet Habakkuk asked such questions of God and he received answers.  Habakkuk was bewildered by the evil he saw running rampant in Judah.  When he brought his honest questions to God, God responded. However, Habakkuk was neither ready for, nor did he completely comprehend,  the answers he was given. Habakkuk complained to God about the sinfulness of the people of Judah and God’s lack of action in correcting it. He  asked God, “Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me and why do you idly look at wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:3). God responded that He was doing something Habakkuk would be astounded by. He was bringing the cruel Babylonians to power and they would overrun his people, thus bringing God’s justice and correction upon them (Hab 1:5-11).  This really bewildered Habakkuk. How could God use evil to bring about a good purpose? Would God really allow the wicked to destroy people more righteous than them? (Hab 1:13).

What’s so beautiful about Habakkuk is that he didn’t run away from God or doubt God’s character in the midst of things he did not understand.  Instead, he trusted that God would clarify things for him.  Having asked God his questions, Habakkuk said, “I will climb into my watchtower and wait to see what the LORD will say to me and how he will answer my complaint,” (Hab 2:1).  G. Campbell Morgan once said that when Habakkuk looked at his circumstances he was perplexed (1:3), but when he waited for God and listened to Him, he sang (3:18-19).  God responded by admitting the wickedness of the Babylonians, but declared that they would eventually destroy themselves through their own evil. Pride and cruelty always lead to destruction. (Hab 2:2-20).

What becomes clear in the book of Habakkuk is that people sometimes have to wait to know what the final outcome of things will be.  While God may seem slow to act by our standards, time is not an issue for him. God sometimes takes ages to show his plans. As the apostle Peter said, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day,” (2 Peter 3:8). Though it may seem that the wicked are winning, in the end they are doomed. During such times of trial, God is testing and refining his people.  Hardship always brings out who we really are and reveals what we really believe.  God’s direction to us whether in the good times or bad is to live out an everyday trust in him.  “The righteous will live by his faith,” (Hab 2:4).

Habakkuk believed God and rejoiced that God answered Him. He trusted that God knew what He was doing by bringing the Babylonians against his people and that in the end things would work for the good.  Habakkuk looked past the hardship to the restoration that would occur. “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as sure footed as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.” (Hab. 3:17-19).

When you experience trials, remember that God is in control of the universe and he is working out his own plan in his own time. I encourage you, like Habakkuk, to trust God in the midst of your hardship. Live by faith! It’s okay to bring your honest questions to the Lord but be sure to wait for his answers and know that it often takes time for God’s program to be revealed. When mystified by it all, remember that God’s thoughts are above our thoughts and God’s ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55:9).  And trust that, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28).

The Real God

I sometimes hear people complain that there is a disconnect for them between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament they say they see a God who is wrathful, whereas in the New Testament they encounter a God of love. Therefore, they sometimes conclude, toss out the Old and keep only the New.  This reveals a basic misunderstanding of the character and nature of the Real God.  The Real God, the God revealed through both the Old and New Testaments, is both holy and loving; just and merciful; wrathful and forgiving.  He reveals himself as a righteous Judge and as a loving Father.  His character never changes. Because of this, there really isn’t discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments; there are simply differing expressions of his nature and his actions in the world according to his great and overarching plan for our planet.

In the book of Nahum we discover this Real God. Nahum’s name means “comfort” and he ministered to the people of Judah during a time of great fear.  His words were delivered to bring reassurance to the hearts of people who had been tormented by cruel oppressors — the Assyrians.  He reminded the people that God is a strong refuge for those in trouble.  Like a good Father, God brings comfort to those who have been crushed and he brings tenderness and restoration to those who are broken. “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” (Nahum 1:7).

Nahum’s words were also intended for the people of Assyria. God would bring judgment on sin and evil. Nahum predicted the impending doom of Nineveh, Assyria’s capital city, and their downfall came soon after his prediction. Nineveh’s demise resulted from the merciless way they treated other people (especially God’s people) and their flagrant renunciation of the God who a century earlier had had mercy upon them. Remember that the prophet Jonah previously went to Nineveh and the city was spared from destruction because the people repented.  But their failure to stay near to God led to their ultimate downfall. Their previous repentance was only a one-time thing designed to avoid destruction. They didn’t really seek to change and live lives in accordance with God’s ways.

Nahum reveals the Real God. We can see his character as both Judge and Father in Nahum 1:2-7.  As Judge, God:

• Is jealous
• Is avenging
• Is filled with wrath at evildoers
• Is great in power
• Does not allow the guilty to go unpunished
• Is indignant

As Father, God is:

• Slow to anger
• Good
• A refuge
• Knows everyone who trusts in him

When we see this Real God for who He is and not who we wish him to be, it is awe-inspiring. It causes us to honestly examine ourselves. And when we do this, we will see that there isn’t any true righteousness within us. The truth of this reality drives us into the arms of a loving Savior who is our covering for sin. Christ bore the punishment that brings us peace.  At his crucifixion God fully and completely judged the sin and evil of the world.  He judged my sin and yours.  His completely righteous wrath was poured out and his perfect justice was given.  God drove the final nail into sin’s coffin by cutting off his own Son (2 Cor 5:21). But in this great punishment is also demonstrated God’s great mercy. His loving heart bears for all who trust in him the punishment that is rightfully ours.  Don’t you see that in the cross, He said, “You’re worth it!” His incredible goodness and forgiveness and his amazing love are revealed through Jesus Christ. He took what we deserve and gave us back peace so that we can now live our lives to fulfill our calling and his purposes for us in the world.  What incredibly good news!  Oh how thankful I am for the Real God who is both righteous Judge and loving Father!

What God Requires

One of the terrible things about this fallen life is how easy it is for us to be consumed with ourselves and to become confused about God. The people of Israel during the time of Micah had become very confused about God and themselves.  They were supposed to know him, but their vision and understanding of who he is and what he wants became clouded by their own deceit and selfishness.  Instead of relying upon God, the people relied upon all kinds of useless things to bring their lives meaning and to attempt to bring them security. They looked to their military strength and their city fortifications to provide their safety (Micah 5:11). They looked to false spiritualities such as the occult, witchcraft, fortune tellers, astrology, and idol worship to bring them guidance (Micah 5:12-14).  Their lives had become bloated by wealth and self-importance and they forgot that it was God who was their Creator and real source of power. “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery… I the LORD did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness,” (Micah 6:3-5).

As the realities of their practical atheism and the consequences of their sinful lives began to catch up with them, the people scrambled to appease God. It wasn’t that they honestly feared him or that they reverently worshipped him.  They weren’t interested in holiness or being acceptable to him.  Instead, they were panicked that were losing the temporal and earthly things (health, money, status, power) that they most valued. They thought that if they just got the religious formula right, God would relent and once more become their “blessing” machine. So they postulated a confused religious response to try to buy him off: “What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we’ve done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad?” (Micah 6:6-8).

Ultimately there is nothing we can do to impress God or win his favor.  What God is looking for is faith — a living, believing, everyday trust in Him that affects our lifestyle and the way we treat other people. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God,” (Hebrews 11:6).  Or as Micah puts it: “God has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8).  God is not telling us there is a way to earn our salvation through our efforts, but instead is describing what a life lived with him looks like.  He’s not showing the seed that creates faith, but the fruit that’s produced by faith.  He’s describing a life of faith that treats others responsibly, that is merciful to everyone (both those who deserve it and especially those who don’t), and that fully relies upon God for all things.  God has not changed.  He still requires the same thing he has always required.  What he wants from you, what he requires, is living faith.

God will make things right

As much can go wrong in our lives related to our peers, children, illness, and finances; sometimes its the leaders in our lives who devastate us. For some people, the suffering and pain they endure comes at the hands of parents, teachers, pastors/priests, bosses, civic leaders, or politicians. Instead of protecting those under their authority, these leaders take advantage of their situation so as to gain personally without concern for the damage they inflict. Most are living out of wounded lives, yet many are simply selfish and destructive.

Such was the condition in Israel about which the prophet Micah spoke. The leaders, the kings, the prophets, the priests, and the wealthy failed to fulfill their responsibility before God — to defend the poor and the helpless in society. Instead these leaders lived for personal gain despite the harm they caused others. They were proud and self-centered and took advantage of the weak. They were hypocritical liars who used religion as a foil for their actions. God was furious and he denounced them…”Listen you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil,” (Micah 3:1-2). In a graphic picture, God likened the leaders’ behavior to cannibalism as they devoured poor, defenseless people. “You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. You eat my people’s flesh, cut away their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot. Then you beg the LORD for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to listen? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!” (Micah 3:2-4). Not only were the civic leaders corrupt, but also the religious leaders failed to denounce these despicable actions. God was livid with them also.  “This is what the LORD says to you false prophets: “You are leading my people astray! You promise peace for those who give you food, but you declare war on anyone who refuses to pay you… your day will come to an end! … And you will admit that your messages were not from God,” (Micah 3:5-7).

But God gives us hope.  He promised that one day a true and good leader would come.  A King would arrive who would bring peace and order to all who submit to him. “He will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the world. And he will be the source of our peace.” (Micah 5:4-5).  This King will come for the broken and needy and he will bring them healing because this King is God himself. “In that coming day,” says the LORD, “I will gather together my people who are lame, who have been exiles, filled with grief. They are weak and far from home, but I will make them strong again… Then I the LORD, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever,” (Micah 4:6-7).

Perhaps you have suffered innocently at the hands of those in authority over you. Make no mistake; one day God will make things right.  Micah assures us that God will punish those who have harmed and wronged us. As such, we can leave the situation in God’s hands and instead spend our time and energy dealing with our own sins and problems.  The good news is that the good leader, the wonderful King who is God himself, has come in the person of Jesus Christ.  He has come for the broken and needy to restore them and bring them life. He holds the crushed in Spirit close at heart.  As we seek his forgiveness for our own shortcomings and learn to live according to his ways, he assures us of  his peace and blessing.  Trust and seek him to honor his promise.

The Measure of Success

Most people use faulty measurements to determine the success of their lives. Usually this means comparing themselves to others in one way or another and then assuming that external markers prove they’ve “made it”.  A few of the things people use to measure themselves include:

• Money and the things it buys — “if I have more, I am more”
• Career or Achievement — “if I go further, I am more”
• Physical Appearance — “if I have physical beauty or superior strength, I am more”
• Power — “if i have influence, I am more”
• Education — “If I know more, I am more”
• A beautiful wife/successful husband/perfect family — “if we look the best, I am more”
• A life without problems — “if everything is smooth, I am more”

But according to God, these are all faulty measuring tools. None of these things shows whether or not we are succeeding in God’s sight. Neither looking at others nor at the standards of our culture give us a true view of spiritual success. And if we use faulty guidelines, we can’t make accurate assessments of ourselves or our lives.

The prophet Amos recorded this vision: “I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was checking it with a plumb line to see if it was straight. And the LORD said.. ‘I will test my people with this plumb line,” (Amos 7:7-8)

A plumb line is a length of string with a weight tied at one end. When you hold the string up with the weighted end hanging down, the law of gravity ensures that the string is totally vertical. It provides a true measurement and a straight line.  When held next to a structure, the plumb line provides an infallible measure by which to determine whether or not the building is “in line” with the physical universe. A building that is in line with the plumb line is strong, secure and built to last, but a building with walls that are out of line is weak and will eventually collapse.

The same holds true with our lives. God’s word provides a spiritual plumb line by which we can determine whether or not we are in line with Him. But if we never read the Word or we don’t know the Word, we will use faulty measures and so deceive ourselves.  We may look successful to ourselves and to the world around us, while actually being on the verge of spiritual ruin.  Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26).  Just as we can’t argue with the plumb line when it comes to what is physically straight and true, so also God’s Word shows us what is spiritually upright from his perspective.  We can’t change the spiritual laws revealed in the bible, therefore it’s crucial that we measure our lives according to the plumb line of God’s Word. When we discover that our lives don’t line up with it, we must honestly admit the problem, yield it to Christ and allow him to restore us.  In essence, this will tear down what is out of alignment, and rebuild according to his measurements. By placing our faith in Jesus Christ, who alone is totally true and totally straight before God, we receive his uprightness in God’s sight. Christ alone makes us spiritually straight. Christ alone assures our spiritual success.  If we say we are his and we are his followers, then the only measure of success is Christ himself in us.

Going through the motions

There’s a story about a man who dreamed one night. In the dream an angel escorted him to church on a Sunday morning. There he saw both the choir and the praise band and all the people gathered for worship.

As the man looked first at the choir, he saw the robed singers intoning their various parts while the organist played magisterially.  But there was no sound.

Next he looked at the praise band. He saw the guitarist jamming away, the drummer banging vigorously, and the vocalists singing energetically. But there was no sound.

He looked at the congregation and they were singing also; some solemnly and others exuberantly. But there was no sound.

When the minister rose to speak, his lips moved. But there was no sound.

In confusion the man turned to his angel escort for an explanation of what he was witnessing. The angel said: “This is the way it sounds to us in heaven. You hear nothing because there is nothing to hear. These people are going through the motions of worship but their thoughts are on other things, their hearts are far away, and their lives are focused elsewhere.”

It’s possible to fool ourselves into thinking we are spiritually right with God. We can perform rituals and participate in religious activities without actually engaging with the Lord. But God will only look favorably upon us if we entrust our lives to him and seek to follow his ways.  God cannot bless our sinful lifestyles and therefore no amount of religious posturing makes up for our wayward actions.

This was what the prophet Amos chided the people of Israel for.  They went through the motions of worship and made a big show of their religiousness.  But they neglected justice, harmed the poor, and lived selfishly. Through Amos, the Lord said: “I hate all your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry,” (Amos 5:21-24).

Be aware of the danger of going through the motions of worship while not conforming your life to God’s ways.  Be careful not to carry on the outward appearances of religion while neglecting a life of faith.  God is concerned that our hearts know him and our lives reflect his glory to the world around us. If you find yourself going through the motions of faith, ask the Lord to show you where things began to go wrong.  Allow the Holy Spirit to surface those attitudes and behaviors that are out of sync with his heart and ways.  Confess these things to him and determine to change your behavior with the help and power of the God who loves you.   Then receive Him into your Spirit and allow him to strengthen and empower you to walk completely dependent on him.  With your cooperation, he will draw you into his rhythm of life and and his righteous ways through his grace and mercy.